Boulder Valley School District teachers received a rare treat this week, a “shopping” trip sponsored by Target.
On Monday, Target donated roughly $80,000 in classroom supplies from the Target store in Superior.
The three-day event was facilitated through the Boulder Valley School District foundation, Impact on Education after store management sought a good cause to donate the items.
Although the Superior Target store was originally scheduled to reopen in August — after being damaged in the Marshall fire on Dec. 30 — the deadline was delayed, according to store Team Leader Shawn Stratton.
Due to the revised timelines Target had to clear out a sales floor full of school items to provide space for Halloween selections.
“They had the store packed and ready but then weren’t able to open on time,” said Impact on Education Executive Director Allison Billings. “As a result they had all of this inventory they weren’t going to use.”
Stratton credited staff members Jolene Mitchell and Bernadette Paige with proposing the retailer reroute more than 20 pallets of supplies to support BVSD students.
After gaining sign off from corporate, Stratton contacted a former cohort and current educator Tyler Oliver for assistance.
“One of our former managers at the Boulder Target store became a teacher in BVSD,” he said. “He knew the exact person I needed to talk to and got me in touch with them right away.”
The deluge of supplies were then directed to the school district’s philanthropic partner Impact on Education.
“We’re the go to when there are donors and external partners who want to support our schools,” Billings explained. “We have a team and that’s what we do.”
Over the last several weeks Impact on Education staff organized a wealth of supplies, including calculators, locker organizers, art supplies, lunchboxes and backpacks, for teachers to share with pupils.
“They get to stock their classroom shelves,” Billings said. “We’ve got 500 educators from BVSD coming through in different shifts this week to go shopping.,”
On Monday, teachers from schools impacted by the Marshall fire and staff assisting students in financial need were the first to puruse the stock.
“That's really our goal to support the educators and support the students,” Billings said. “They’re coming in with their bags and going shopping.”
